How do you benchmark your customer service performance against your competitors or industry standards?

I’d say that the first step always needs to be an internal assessment of where you want to be. So, identify your most important KPIs and use company goals as well as industry benchmarks and competitor data to set these KPI standards for you. Secondly, measure where you are currently standing by using any of the tools mentioned above. These tools should be directly correlated to the area of customer service you’d like to grasp. Lastly, compare the status quo with your goals and formulate action items. These can be clustered into immediate and long-term items. Use your team of experts as a resource of how to improve these areas as they are the ones closest to your customers and also know all the workflows that might need to be optimized.

To identify your customer service goals and metrics, it is important to understand the market and geo location you are in to understand the benchmark. At the end of the day, serving Michelin-grade catering in a commercial venue that operates in a 2nd or 3rd tier city, may create some noise. But over the long term may not be commercially viable. Therefore it is important to know the average standard in your city and then the aim is to top this. Gather regular feedback via review platforms and social media actively will help you fine-tune and improve your service to your customers.

Researching your competitors is super important. As an ancient Chinese strategist Sun Tsu says: "Know yourself and your enemies, then you will win 100 out of 100 battles" Well we are in modern peaceful times, but the world of commercial venues, it is competitive. Therefore it is important to know your competitor's standards and what kind of unique value or experience you can offer to your customers. Invite experts for food tasting, tours to give you feedback so you can always stay above customer's average expectations. Industry reports can also give you insights into what is important to the customers and communities that regularly uses your venue.

Analyzing for the gaps and opportunities are very important step. SWOT analysis is a good tool, however it is desirable to hire an external consultant to facilitate this. I have done many SWOT analysis with teams, what I found with just the internal team, you discover nothing knew. It is good to get some external perspective and it is worth the investment. Once you identify the areas to improve and the targets to achieve. Put in action list to get going to achieve the outcome.

Once you have your action list, it is important to be able to track progress. In here, project management tools like Monday.com is useful to keep track of actions and progress. These tools give you an easy way to build dashboards, reports and feedback loops to monitor your overall project. Make your goals small and achievable so the saying goes taking small steps. Don't be afraid to make change along the way and be agile about the project.

Venue and Spaces are fixed. Great service can activate the space and bring a memorable experience for your customers. To stand out from your competitors, it is important to research, benchmark, and stay ahead of the herd. Being unique and different is also a great way to stand out with your customer service experience. I worked in the event industry for over 20 years and have been to the best events ever organized. Every country, every venue has its own unique culture and tricks to amaze and inspire its customers. Finding your own superpower is the key!